Kawatta
by PinkSakuraPetals
Summary: The well throws Kagome into a past that isn't quite right. "We sealed him to the tree for stealing the hearts of young women." "You sealed him for being a flirt?" "Nay, he stole their hearts quite literally."
1. One

Title: Kawatta

Author: PinkSakuraPetals

Pairing: Kagome X Miroku

Disclaimer: I hold no ownership of Inuyasha

* * *

The lights around her weren't right.

Every time Kagome jumped into the well and crossed either into the past or into her present, a symphony of ethereal blue surrounded her. There was no point of origin of the light, no shadows cast. Magic in a simple form.

This time, however, when she jumped white encased her.

There was a sense of nothingness around her, as though she was in a cavernous area, but Kagome felt boxed in by the lack of definition of perspective. As quickly as it has come, the stark white emptiness vanished and Kagome was standing at the bottom of the well, the clear blue sky above her.

Right away, she noticed that the heavy creeper vines that lined most of the well's interior was much shorter, the lowest bit of vegetation too high for her to reach.

"What's Inuyasha been up to this time?" Kagome set down her pack to ease the strain on her shoulders and raised her hands to her mouth. "Inuyasha, get down here and help me up! This isn't funny!" The sound of wind rustling through the trees was all the met her ears. A few birdcalls echoed in the clearing. Kagome huffed and shouted louder. "Inuyasha, if you don't get here right now, I'm going to say it!" A few minutes passed and there wasn't even a hint of annoyed grumbling in the distance. Kagome braced herself for the onslaught of cursing that was sure to follow her actions and screamed at the top of her lungs. "SIT!"

Nothing.

"Inuyasha?"

"Sango, Shippo?"

"…Miroku?"

None of her friends peeked over the edge of the well, smiles on their faces for a well-played trick, or stony-faced after a serious battle that she missed. Kagome didn't allow herself to worry. After all, it wasn't the first time that the rest of the group had been unable to get to the well when she was due back. She stared up at the lip of the well, at a loss of what to do. If the vines had been a bit lower, she'd have been able to climb her way out, but Inuyasha needed to lift her heavy pack. As it was, Kagome didn't even have rope that she could hope to use to get out.

As she sat on the hard-packed bottom of the well, deep in thought, a slight shifting in the light above her caught her attention. She looked up to see Kaede, a very welcome face at this point, looking over the edge. The one-eyed miko looked puzzled to see her, but Kagome wrote it off as surprise that she was still down here.

"Kaede! Boy, am I glad to see you! Can you believe Inuyasha cut all the vines? Doesn't that idiot know I can't jump out of the well like he can?"

"How do you know my name, demon? If you hope to trick villagers into your well for your next meal, you will not succeed. We will seal the well before you can take any of us!"

Kagome's heart stopped. "Kaede, what are you talking about? I'm not a demon; I'm a miko like you. Granted, I'm really untrained and clumsy, and I tend to make situations worse before they get better, but I'm not a demon!"

Kaede didn't look moved. "You say you are a miko, but what are you doing inside the Bone Eaters Well? I think you are a demon who managed to survive the magic of the well and are trying to trick me into freeing you."

"No! Really, Kaede, I'm not a demon! I'm from five hundred years in the future. When I jump into the well in my time, I cross into the past. I'm on a mission with Inuyasha, Sango, Shippo, and Miroku to collect the shards of the Shikon Jewel!"

The miko's face hardened. "What you speak is obviously false. The half-demon Inuyasha lives in the Western Lands with his full-blooded brother Sesshomaru. He would not be traveling with a miko, if that is what you really are. I know not who Sango and Shippo are, but I know who Miroku is, and it also unlikely that you are traveling with him. He is sealed to the Goshinboku Tree, sentenced to an eternal sleep for stealing the hearts of young women. He met his match when he tried to take on my sister, Kikyo. A monk such as he did not stand a chance against a miko as powerful as Kikyo."

Kagome's jaw dropped. Without really thinking, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "You sealed him to a tree for being a flirt?!"

"Nay, he was stealing the hearts of young maidens quite literally. The monk is a wolf in sheep's clothing." Kaede studied her for a moment. "How do you know of the Shikon Jewel, demon? My sister carried it with her into the afterlife when she was cremated. Kikyo guarded the jewel her entire life and decided, in her old age, that she would continue the responsibility in her death."

Kagome's hands shook as she pulled out the small vial that held the shards of the jewel that the group had managed to collect. Any other time, she'd be met with the sight of the pearl pink jewel glinting at her, eerily glowing in her grasp.

This time however, it was empty.

* * *

Kagome knew as soon as she came to that she passed out. There was the smell of smoke on the air, a familiar scent to her nose and when she opened her eyes she saw that she was indeed inside Kaede's hut. The wood crackled in the flames and shot sparks into the dirt around the fire pit. The old miko sat across the hut, mixing something in a large wooden bowl.

"Kaede?"

The older woman didn't turn around, keeping her attention on the task in front of her. "I see that you are awake. I'll need to check your head in just a moment. You hit it pretty hard on the side of the well when you fainted." Here, the miko turned with the bowl in hand and crossed the space between them. "Against my better judgment, I had the village's strongest men lift you and your bag out of the well and to my hut. I no longer believe you to be a demon."

Kagome blinked. "Why did you change your- Ouch! What's in that stuff? It stings!"

"It is a poultice that will keep the swelling down in your head and keep evil spirits from infecting the wound you have. Like I said, you knocked against the side of the well when you fainted. There must have been a sharp rock in the wall. Sit still."

Kagome clasped her fingers together to keep them from fidgeting and finished her question. "What made you change your mind about me?"

"When a demon is trying to lure a human into a trap, they'll do just about anything to trick them. However, even the most simple-minded of demons know better than to pass out in front of humans. It leaves them vulnerable. When then men set you down in my hut, I checked over your spiritual energy and found no demonic presence."

"Oh." Kagome grimaced as Kaede wrapped a length of cloth around her head. "Kaede, what I said is true. I really did come from the future. I'm the one responsible for breaking the Shikon Jewel and I really am traveling with Inuyasha and Miroku. I don't know what happened, but somehow I ended up here, in this alternate past."

"It is perplexing. I have never heard stories of the Bone Eater's Well transporting someone through time, but I suppose it may not be entirely impossible. There are many things we do not know about the well. It has been dry since before my grandmother was born and has always been used to dispose of demon carcasses. Using the well's magic to cross into the past, or it seems in your case, into another timeline altogether, is a first." Kaede gathered up her bowl and cloths and set them aside. "Take your time to recover, dear child. I am needed elsewhere in the village right now, but I should be back by dusk. I have some stew from the previous night sitting in that pot over there. Just set it in the fire to warm when you get hungry." Kaede quickly shuffled around her hut, picking up various herbs and bottles, cloths and bowls, and headed out the door. Kagome realized it was still daytime, probably around noon.

'_Is Miroku really evil here? He was never very good as a monk, but his lecherous tendencies never really hurt anyone before. I just can't imagine him ripping out a young woman's heart. That's just gross.' _

Kagome carefully picked herself off the floor and peeked outside. Kaede's hut was situated on the same plot of land, just at the base of the steps that led to the well. Seeing no one around, Kagome trotted up the stairs, back to the well's clearing. Off to the right, hidden by younger trees, was the trunk of the Goshinboku. Its crown towered over the rest of the forest, regal in its age.

Against the trunk, wrapped in creeper vines, was Miroku, long ofudas plastered against him. The characters were complicated, ancient, and unknown to Kagome. She'd never seen _her_ Miroku use them before.

Of course her Miroku had never sealed a human before.

His dark hair was the same as it always was, any growth halted by the power in the seals. His face was slack, peaceful. There was no glove on his right hand that suggested that Naraku had gained power here. As Kagome approached, one hand twitched.

She remembered what happened when she woke Inuyasha on the tree and halted, hesitant to face this unknown friend. "Miroku?"

The hand twitch again and with it, his head. Violet eyes met hers when he woke, confusion lightening their color. Miroku looked around in a daze, taking in the forest that had thrived while he was asleep. His eyes caught hers again and they hardened, a cold glint darkening them. "So, you're here to gloat then. It seems your power is lacking if I'm awake after only a few days, Kikyo." The monk took in Kagome's school uniform. "Or perhaps it's been a few years. Have you decided to forget your calling as a miko and take up the life of a common whore?"

Kagome's hand slapped against his cheek before she was even aware that she had moved.

"How dare you! I'm not Kikyo, Miroku, and I'm definitely not a whore!" Kagome was surprised at how mad she was at him, but figured it was only natural. When she had first met Miroku, he'd thought that she was some sort of loose woman, but had expressed that perception in much more subtle ways until he'd gotten to know who she was. To hear him blatantly say such a thing to her made her realize that this really wasn't _her _Miroku.

"I see that now. You may look like her, but you bite harder. Kikyo would have never used physical violence to get her point across like some sort of savage." Miroku's grin was hungry.

Kagome couldn't believe it. Even when it was Miroku sealed to the tree, she was being compared to her ancestor.

* * *

Kagome left Miroku against the tree (against his very vocal objections) and returned to the well. She wanted to try jumping in, to see if she could get back home, but the chance that it wouldn't work scared her. She didn't fancy spending hours at the bottom again.

'_It always comes back to this well. My problems started here, when Mistress Centipede pulled me into the past.' _Kagome brushed against the scar on her side, reminded of the day she first met Inuyasha. _'He was just as rude as Miroku is now, but at least he wasn't a pervert.'_

She stayed at the well until the sun started to disappear into the tree line before heading back down to Kaede's hut. The old woman was inside already, the pot of stew on the fire.

"There you are, child. I was afraid you had left on your own. You are still injured and would have surely been eaten by a demon had you traveled alone." The two mikos ate in silence, one contemplating and the other just tired. "When you first came through the well, you knew my name, but I fear I do not know what to call you."

Kagome could've shot herself in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize that how rude I've been! Here I am, calling you by your name and you don't even know who I am!" Kagome bowed in her seated position. "My name is Higurashi Kagome."

"Two names? That is very unusual. Your family must be very important."

"No, not really. Everyone in my time has two names. It's too hard to keep track of families otherwise. There are over six billion people in the world in my time, after all."

"Six billion? I'm afraid I am not familiar with that number."

Kagome bit her lip for a moment. "Japan would have to be filled with people, shoulder to shoulder, to get even a small fraction of the world's population."

The old woman's eyebrow climbed into her hair. "That's incredible! To think that there are that many humans. There must be twice as many demons, then."

"No, as far as I know there aren't any demons at all. There was this Noh mask that was possessed by a demon, but that's about it."

Kaede didn't know what to say to that.

"Kaede, would it be possible for a rope to be set up in the well? I'd like to see if I can get back home, but I don't want to be stuck if it doesn't work."

"Of course, Kagome. I'll have some of the men get a rope at first light. We'll stick around to make sure you don't injure yourself."

"Thank you, Kaede."

* * *

"Son of a bitch!"

"Why do you speak of a pup of a dog, Kagome? Is that a saying from your time?"

Kagome looked up at Kaede's confused face. "Yes. It's usually an insult toward people, but we use it on objects as well."

"To be the son of a bitch is a bad thing, then?"

"Yeah. It implies that your father had…um…that is to say, your father was involved with a dog."

"Oh."

Kagome pulled herself out of the well, grunting with the effort. One of the village men helped her over the lip and she nodded at him gratefully. "The well won't open for me. I think it's because I don't have any jewel shards on me anymore."

"If the power of the jewel activated the well, then I fear that you are stuck here until Kikyo's soul is reincarnated."

"Actually, I'm Kikyo's reincarnation. When I was pulled into the well the first time, a demon bit it out of me." Kagome lifted her shirt to show Kaede the scar and the village men politely averted their eyes. "I'm assuming that since I don't have any shards, but I still have this scar, I'm not Kikyo's reincarnation in this timeline. I can't imagine who else could be, though."

Kaede opened her mouth to reply when a loud roar echoed in the clearing. A bear demon, angry and hungry looking, lumbered into view. One of the villagers was caught in his jaw, teeth punctured into the thick calf muscle.

"Men, get your weapons! The demon's got Yasuo!" The village head pulled out his sword, a rusted heirloom from his father. As one the villagers attacked the bear demon, hacking at the tough skin with no visible progress. They only managed to make the demon angrier.

Kagome picked up one of the bows the villagers hadn't taken, along with a few arrows and dashed around to a vantage point that wouldn't hit one of the villagers accidentally. She shouted a warning before she let an arrow loose, the string twanging loudly from the force. She missed her mark, the unfamiliar bow uncooperative in her hands, but she managed to nick the demon's leg enough to make it drop its prey.

She wished she hadn't missed when the bear demon turned its attention on her.

"Shit!" Kagome dashed into the trees, branches scratching her arms. With her head bowed down to protect her face, Kagome ran straight into a wall of warm muscle. The wall grunted and began to yell at her.

"Watch where you're going, Kikyo. I can't exactly move out of the way, you know!"

Kagome's heart leapt into her throat. It was Miroku, he didn't have the wind tunnel anymore, but surely he could still throw ofudas and beat the crap out of the bear demon with his staff, right?

"Miroku, if I let you free, will you help me? There's a bear demon right on my tail!"

As soon as she said this, there was a crashing in the undergrowth and the demon was running full tilt at her. Kagome screamed and climbed further up the tree, attaching to Miroku's chest like a baby monkey. The man grunted again and bit one of her fingers when she shoved a hand in his face.

"Ow, Miroku! What was that for?!"

"I don't think now is the time to pick my nose, is it?"

Kagome blushed a bit. "Oh, sorry. So? Will you help if I let you free?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I? If you don't move that demon's going to claw me to get to you. Break the ofuda chain so I can move."

Kagome reached for the paper, ignoring the sound of Kaede's voice pleading for her to stop. _'I didn't listen to you when I freed Inuyasha. What makes you think I'll listen this time?'_ Her finger curled and pulled sharply, ripping the ofuda and freeing Miroku. The monk yanked his staff out of the mess of paper, laughing loudly.

The bear demon's claws dug into the bark of the tree, inches from where Kagome and Miroku had been second before. Miroku jumped away, carrying Kagome over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He threw her to the ground, ignoring her indignant screech and attacked the demon, staff spinning in a blur.

Kaede had made it to the clearing now, the villagers behind her. The old woman helped Kagome up, her expression scared and a little sad. "You should not have freed him, Kagome. He is not a good man and he'll wreak havoc on the village until we can seal him again."

"Kaede, when I freed Inuyasha in my own timeline, you had a bead necklace of subjugation. Couldn't that work on Miroku?"

"Nay. The beads of subjugation only work on demon blood. Miroku may not act like it, but he does have holy blood within his veins." Kaede seemed to ponder something. "My sister left a second ofuda behind, in case he ever got free. Perhaps if we can subdue him long enough, we can get the ofuda on him. It would have to go over his heart, where the darkness within him has taken residence."

"What made him so….mean?"

"It is a long story, one that we do not have time for right now, but I will tell you if this plan succeeds."

* * *

Miroku's staff cut into the skull of the bear demon for the fourth time, killing it. He wiped the blood from the gold carelessly, his own blood pumping madly in his body. It felt so good to be free again. He didn't know how long he'd been out, but he hoped that Kikyo, for that other woman was clearly not her, was still alive so he could finally kill her.

He turned toward the villagers, a smirk ready on his face. Before he could turn all the way around a heavy weight threw itself against him, throwing him off balance and to the ground. "Oof!"

"Quickly, Kagome! Place the ofuda over his heart!"

Hands scrabbled at his clothes, pushing aside the heavy cloth. He realized just what was happening and grabbed the small hand that reached forward to put the seal on him. "Nice try, little girl. You'll have to be smarter than that!" He twisted her wrist sharply, making the woman on top of him scream in pain. He grinned and squeezed his fingers together. "I'm not some dog who falls for the same trick twic-_mmph_!"

Soft lips, not quite recovered from the cold winter, clamped onto his, teeth nibbling his bottom lip. He pushed back, tongue forcing its way into the warm mouth above him, his imagination thinking about what _else_ could be in that warmth.

A shock ran through his body and he curled up, arms automatically going down to cradle his injury. The little minx had kneed him in the groin! Small, wheezing moans crawled out of his mouth, unable to be silenced.

"Now who's smart, pervert?"

Kagome slapped the ofuda on Miroku's chest, a little bit of her energy gluing it to the skin. Miroku screamed as the characters on the paper began to glow blue, burning into the muscle underneath. The paper charred and was whisked away by a soft breeze, leaving the characters branded into the monk's chest.

Miroku lifted his head to look at the injury, the pain between his legs forgotten when realization hit. His eyes, nearly black with angry, pierced into her.

"You bitch!" He made to move, but one of the villagers hit him over the head with his own staff, knocking him unconscious.

Kagome's heart still hurt from the hate Miroku had shown her.


	2. Two

Disclaimer: I hold no ownership of Inuyasha.

* * *

Kagome stared blankly into the fire in front of her. She was really worn out from running away from the bear demon. Once Inuyasha had warmed up to her, she hadn't really needed to rely on her own endurance to get out of danger. Inuyasha would never fail to protect her. That was not to say that she was out of shape, however. When the group had a long distance to cover, Kagome either walked like everyone else, or rode her bike. Her current model was the seventh replacement she'd gotten.

Kagome rubbed her sore thighs and looked over at Kaede. The older miko hadn't said much since they'd returned to the village. What she did say was short and to the point. Kagome figured she was rather peeved that Miroku had been freed.

Speaking of the pervert….

"Kaede, where's Miroku?"

The older woman glanced up for a moment before returning to the herbal mixture she was creating for Kagome's head wound. "We've placed him in the temple for now, plastered to the alter with ofudas."

"What's going to happen to him?"

"If I cannot recreate my sister's soul-sealing ofuda, Miroku will be killed. He is too dangerous to leave under the guard of mere immobilizing ofudas."

Kagome couldn't keep her jaw from dropping and felt her heart drop with it. "What!? You can't just kill him!"

"What else would you have us do, Kagome? Miroku may be mortal, but he has the strength of a demon. There is no chance of standing up to him should he free himself."

"What about that ofuda I put on him? What does that do?"

Kaede put aside her herbs and threw the leftover bits into the fire. The air turned fragrant as the vegetation burned. "I have hope that you are in enough control of your spiritual energy to command Miroku. If you are unable to use the ofudas power, he shall either be sealed, or failing that, killed."

Kagome's stomach felt as if a hot rock had been dropped into it. "Why is Miroku like this? The Miroku I know is a pervert, but he'd never intentionally hurt someone innocent."

"It isn't anything Miroku has done. He is an innocent victim." Kaede shifted into a more comfortable position. "His father was a notorious flirt when he was a young man. He had never felt the calling to settle down and start a family, preferring to frequent numerous whorehouses.

One night he was kicked out of an establishment for starting a fight with a fellow patron over one of the women. The other man had more money, so he was allowed to stay. Miroku's father wandered the streets, almost too drunk to stand. He ran into a beautiful young woman and made a pass at her quite rudely. The young woman turned out to be a witch and cursed him for his perverse ways.

The witch told him that in a year's time he'd be married to the love of his life and have a son. His son would not make it to his first year of life before being taken away by sickness. He'd have a second son who would die before he even saw his father's face. His third son would be his last, and would live, but his wife would die in the process. Though his son would live, on the cusp of adolescence he would be struck by the last part of the curse. He would no longer have the ability to feel love. Any and all feelings of fondness for another person would be twisted into it's direct opposite. Like to dislike, caring to hatred, love to loathing."

Kagome listened intently, reeled in by the story. "So Miroku was the third son?"

"Yes. Miroku's father did not believe the witch, laughed away her words as only a drunk can. However, not a month later he met a beautiful village girl, the daughter of a local hunter, and fell in love. By the end of the year he had a strong, healthy son.

Miroku's father still refused to believe the witch's words, even when his son was bitten by a dog afflicted with madness and fell to the madness as well. He and his wife were devastated, but grew hopeful when she was with child again. True to the witch's words, his second son was born dead. His wife nearly died from the heartache and Miroku's father began to worry that the witch hadn't bee tossing words around to intimidate him.

He abstained from touching his wife for a year, afraid of the last part of the curse. He grew drunk one evening, though, and was dismayed to find he had laid with his wife once more. Soon enough she showed signs of being with child and Miroku's father panicked."

Kagome's eyes were wide, mouth slack. All of her attention was riveted to the elderly miko in front of her. "What happened?"

"At first he tried to poison his wife with teas made of plants known to destroy an unborn babe. The magic of the curse prevented it, making the glass tip and spill it's contents before his wife could take one sip. Then he paid a passing soldier to beat his wife to kill the child, but the soldier was trampled to death by his own horse.

Miroku's father finally gave up, his heart breaking as he watched his wife pass away. He gave his son to a wet nurse with instructions to hand him over to the monks of the village as soon as he was weaned. He left a letter for the monks that explained his story and disappeared. No one really knows what happened to him."

Kagome blinked several times to wet her eyes and took a deep breath to dispel some of the heavy silence. "I never would have guessed something like this could have happened to Miroku, but it's similar to what happened in my timeline. Miroku's lecherous grandfather was tricked by a young woman who was really Naraku, a terrible half-demon, in disguise and was cursed with the wind tunnel. The curse is passed from father to son and now Miroku has it. If we don't defeat Naraku soon, the wind tunnel will consume him."

Kaede picked up her bowl of herbal paste once more and moved to treat Kagome's head. "We will have to find a way to get you back to your own timeline soon, then."

The two women sat in silence while Kaede worked. Kagome was worried about Miroku, both her own and the one of this world. Both monks were sort on time and both depended on her to save them. The poor guy just couldn't catch a break.

* * *

Miroku didn't like the heavy pounding in his head. If felt as if he'd run at full speed into a rock wall and hit his skull dead on. The heady scent of burning herbs and spices filled the air, making his breathing deep and his body feel lethargic. He tried to bring a hand up to feel the sore spot on the side of his head, but his arm refused to cooperate.

"What the hell?" Miroku tried to move any part of his body and failed. "Those bastards tied me up! I'll kill them!" He struggled frantically, the ropes and ofudas holding him steadfast. He could feel the anger, not the fabricated emotion from the curse but the real feeling, grow within him. This was the fault of that girl, the one who looked like Kikyo. If she hadn't placed that ofuda on him, he'd still be free. He vowed to kill her as soon as he was no longer held down by the seals keeping him in this temple.

The sound of footsteps brought him out of his anger and he looked as far to the side as he could, he head secured too well for any other movement. The old woman that helped the girl was standing a few feet from him, two village men flanking her.

"What do you want, hag?"

"It is nice to know you haven't lost your charm after all these years, Miroku-san."

"Oh? Who are you that you know me so well?"

"I am Kikyo's younger sister, Kaede."

Miroku strained his eyes to get a better look at the old woman next to him. She was so old! How long had he been asleep? "Well, if you have that many wrinkles, Kikyo must be ancient by now. Why isn't she here as well? Is she that afraid of me still?"

"Kikyo died ten years ago. Her age caught up with her."

Miroku couldn't help it. He laughed. "So now there's no one who can stand up to me! As soon as I'm free of these bindings, you're all DEAD!" His laughter became hysterical.

"Nay, Miroku, you will not be free."

"Who's going to stop me? You?" He snorted. "As if, Grandma. Keep to you poultices and tinctures."

"The girl who sealed the ofuda to your heart is the one who has the power to stop you, not me. She will have the ability to command you to her every whim, all because of that." Kaede pointed to the kanji burned into his chest. The injury was already healed, but the ink was surrounded by angry red skin. Miroku would be sore for a few days yet.

"Like hell she will!" Miroku began to struggle again. He did not hope that Kaede was lying. He could see it in her eyes that she spoke the truth. The curse within him snapped into action, fueling his anger to raving heights. He was vaguely aware of the village men escorting the old woman out of the temple before the hilt of a sword cracked into his skull, once more sending him into darkness.

* * *

Kagome passed the days of waiting away with helping around the village. Kaede worked night and day on recreating Kikyo's sealing ofuda and as a result there was no one to aid the villagers. Once everyone found out she was a miko as well, even though she was largely untrained, she often found herself answering questions and helping in odd jobs.

"Kagome-sama! Jiro has swallowed a stone! What should I do?"

"How big was the stone?"

"Hardly bigger that the tip of my littlest finger."

"Then there's no reason to worry. It should pass through just fine." Kagome rolled her eyes as the relieved woman, hardly older than she was, walked away with her son hanging off one arm.

A week after she had shown up in the wrong timeline, Kagome found herself rather bored. Most of the men were out hunting for the Bon Festival that was to be held in a few days and the women and children were putting together paper lanterns. Kagome wandered the village, unneeded. Her thoughts turned to Miroku again and she made a beeline for the temple he was held in. The guards that were normally stationed at the door were gone, assumedly to help with the hunt, so Kagome slipped in quickly.

The interior was dim, some of the lights that were usually lit had blown out from the summer breezes weaving in and out of the open windows. At the far end of the room, looking for all intents and purposes asleep, was Miroku. Kagome tiptoed quietly toward him, unwilling to wake him and be assaulted by his sharp tongue and angry eyes.

This Miroku looked exactly like hers, but now that she was up close to him and _not_ being chased by a bear demon, she saw little differences between the two. Besides the obvious lack of a wind tunnel and the addition of the kanji on his chest, this Miroku looked…younger. There were small scars on his arms that spoke of small, scared animals being held and there was an interesting burn mark on his right shoulder. Looking up at his face, Kagome saw that the minute stress wrinkles that plagued her Miroku were missing. She reached up to push a piece of hair out of his face a nearly swallowed her tongue in shock when his eyes snapped open.

Violet eyes darkened when they recognized her. Miroku's voice was dark as he snarled at her. _"You…"_

* * *

Kaede wiped the sweat off of her forehead and took a break from the ofuda in front of her. It was tiring to work her spiritual energy into the ink as she wrote each symbol. So far she'd only gotten a few kanji completed. A shrill scream caught her attention just as one of the village girls burst through her door.

"Kaede-sama! Miroku has broken free and is trying to kill Kagome-sama!"

The old miko cursed and ran as fast as her body would allow to the temple. The women of the village were running about in a panic, children clutched in their arms. There was a loud crash and Kaede saw the temple collapse, a large cloud of dust rising into the air above it. Miroku stood on the steps, Kagome held in his grasp. The younger miko was trying to gnaw on his knuckles just out of reach of her teeth and her nails dug into his forearm.

"Let me go, you jerk!" Kagome kicked backwards, trying to injure Miroku's shins with hard soles of her shoes. The monk ignored her and laughed when he caught sight of Kaede.

"I thought you said this pathetic girl was supposed to have the power to command me, Grandma!" Miroku's hand roughly brushed through Kagome's hair. "She couldn't tell a dog what to do!"

Kagome bit at Miroku's hand when the fingers got too close to her mouth and he threw her from his grasp with a shout. She landed on the ground with enough force to knock the breath out of her and she laid there stunned. Kaede helped her stand up and Kagome was grateful to the older woman. She was so _dizzy_.

"Kagome, child, you must activate the seal on his heart before it's too late."

"I've _tried_, Kaede. I don't know what to do!"

"The seal must have the blood of the one will give the commands. You must touch it with your blood."

"_Great_."

Kaede passed a small knife into her hand, out of Miroku's sight. "You only need to nick a finger, Kagome. If you miss, you will not get another chance. Miroku is too smart."

Miroku descended the steps, a heavy frown on his face. Kagome gulped. She'd never seen him so _angry_ before. She ran away from his grabbing hand, in the direction of the well. The villagers had escaped into the forest to the west, away from where she was headed. She could hear Miroku behind her, his footsteps echoing in her head. Kagome darted around trees and bushes, desperate to put some distance between Miroku and herself. The monk followed, unperturbed by her quick turns. Kagome's breath came in panicked pants, her feet narrowly avoided roots that would trip her.

"_I'm going to die. Miroku is going to kill me!_" Kagome repeated those two sentences in her head, unable to stop. The chirping of birds, normally so cheerful and calming, sounded like the jeers of spectators at a gladiator match crying out for blood. The trees around her were thrown into high relief, her vision narrowed to the path directly in front of her.

A heavy weight crashed into her from behind and she squealed in fear as she was pulled down. She kicked and punched frantically at the arms that tried to clamp around her, panic running rampant in her veins. A grunt signaled that she'd managed to knee him in the groin again and Kagome scrabbled away before the monk could get a hold of her. Miroku was on the ground, hands cupped between his legs.

"You bitch! I'm going to _kill_ you." Miroku's teeth were gritted together in pain and his eyes were black with rage. He stood shakily, all the while glaring at her. Kagome could feel the blood draining out of her face.

"_Oh shit. Oh…shit. Ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit!_" Kagome ducked the fist the flew at her face and turned to run once more. Miroku was closer to her this time, she could almost imagine his hot breath on her neck. There were more roots down this path and Kagome stumbled frequently. Each time Miroku gained another inch on her.

The burning in her lungs told her that she couldn't go much further and she hurriedly pulled out the knife Kaede gave her. She cut her finger but a root caused her to stumbled and slice into her palm as well. She dropped the knife with a hiss and stopped, scooting to the side to avoid Miroku as he sailed past her. The monk slid to a stop a few feet in ahead of her and turned around, a malevolent grin on his face.

"Now you die, girl." Miroku strode toward her and, as he reached out to grab her arm, Kagome closed her eyes and thrust her cut hand out, aiming for the kanji on his chest.

"STOP!"

Miroku's dark chuckle sank her heart and Kagome peeked an eye open. Her heart was floundering somewhere at her feet as she stared at his chest.

She missed the seal.

Her aim had been too high and her hand, slick with blood, slid harmlessly over his bare shoulder. Her breath was once more forced out of her as Miroku slammed her to the ground, both hands secured over her head in one of his. His heavy weight straddled her midsection, keeping her from drawing a proper breath.

"You lose, little one. If you had been smart, you would have listened to that old hag and never released me." Miroku's free hand came up to caress her face and Kagome cringed when his fingers tangled in her hair. He leaned down and captured her mouth in a bruising kiss, his teeth biting at her lips. Kagome struggled to get free but her wrists were held tight. Kagome chomped down on the tongue that forced its way into her mouth and she was abruptly slapped.

"Bitch! You should be thankful that I'm going to kill you. You'll never get a husband with that habit of violence. Miroku's hand closed around her throat and squeezed.

Kagome's vision darkened and she watched as the blood that she wiped on Miroku's shoulder dripped down his chest slowly. The black ink of the seal absorbed the blood like a dry sponge and turned dark red. The kanji glowed brightly. Kagome tried to stutter out a word.

"S-S-St…." Kagome felt herself getting fainter and she drew up all of her remaining strength to whisper out: "_S-Stop_."

The last thing Kagome heard was Miroku's scream of pain as her throat was freed and air rushed into her lungs.


	3. Three

Disclaimer: I don't hold ownership of Inuyasha.

* * *

Kagome had woken up to many things as a teenager. Sometimes it would be her brother rummaging through her things and the day would begin with an invigorating round of noogies, or her mother would inform her that she was going to be late for school and the sprint to the nearest bus stop brought her rudely awake. The occasional sunbeam drilling into her eyeballs was certainly normal for her as well. However, the sight of two violet, extremely annoyed eyes was not something that happened everyday.

She jerked away, the back of her head slamming into the most strategically placed stone in history. The monk above her snorted and stepped away. His robes rustled as he settled down a few yards from her. Kagome quickly sat up, adjusting her skirt as she went, and stared over at the not-her-Miroku.

"What's going on? I'd have thought you would have slaughtered half the village by now. At the very least I shouldn't be alive. Why are you still here?"

Miroku set her a glare and leaned back as far as he could without over balancing himself. Kagome was surprised to feel an odd tugging from her heart. There was no pain, but she was willing to bet there could be if enough force was applied.

"As you can obviously tell, I can't get further than about ten feet from you."

Kagome stood and took an experimental step back. Miroku was brought crashing forward, only his quick reflexes keeping his nose out of the dirt. The miko couldn't help herself and took another step back.

"If you don't want your heart ripped out through your throat, you'll quit that right this second."

That got Kagome to pause. "Say, that brings up a good point. Why haven't you tried to kill me? I mean, not that I want you to or anything."

"You told me to stop and that blasted seal of yours took effect and shocked me. I'm not exactly sure how long we've been out, non of the villagers have found us yet, but I tried killing you shortly after I came to. I kept getting shocked."

Kagome wasn't sure if she should be worried that he admitted to trying to kill her so flippantly, or relieved that he apparently wasn't able to strangle her to death anymore. "Great, just what I want to hear. 'Yeah, I tried to kill you, but static cling changed my mind'."

"Static Cling?"

"Never mind." Kagome looked up at the sound of heavy footsteps crashing through the undergrowth. "I really hope that's not a demon."

"I'm using you as a distraction if it is."

Kagome glared over at Miroku, but her retort changed into a happy shout when a group of the village's hunters came into the clearing. The four men eyes Miroku warily, swords and bows hold in tense hands.

"Lady Kagome, Lady Kaede told us that you had set out to seal Miroku and that you may need assistance getting back." The lead hunter stepped forward, as if to get between her and Miroku. "Were you successful?"

"Yep, I've even got him on a short leash, just like a dog." Kagome took a step forward and Miroku let out a yelp and he tripped and nearly fell on his face again. She knew that she was pushing it with that action and she turned around just in time to see Miroku coming at her _very_ quickly. She eeped and danced backward as she yelled, "Stop!"

Miroku stumbled to his knees as electricity arched off of his body. His teeth were gritted into a horrible grimace and Kagome gulped at the anger in his eyes. The men quickly tied Miroku up and secured him between them.

* * *

"Kagome, child, I'm happy to see you alive."

Kagome felt a tic form in her eyebrow. "Thanks, Kaede. Really, that makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside." She held up her hand. "Could you dress this for me?" The cut on her palm wasn't nearly as bad as she'd first thought, she had completely forgotten about it until one of the hunters mentioned it, but it was starting to sting now that adrenaline was no longer flooding her body.

"Of course. Let me just get a few herbs together." The old woman puttered around her hut while Kagome took a seat near the fire.

"Did you honestly think I could manage to activate Miroku's seal, or were you just being hopeful?"

Kaede looked up at her. "I was fairly certain you would manage it, if you really are Kikyo's reincarnation like you claim to be, but I had my doubts as well. Now that you have returned, however, I see that my doubts were misplaced."

Kagome whimpered.

"Hold out your hand, dear." Kaede wiped the cut on Kagome's palm with a warm, wet rag. She ignored the younger woman's hissing and slathered an herbal ointment over it, followed by a long strip of clean linen. "There. You certainly have a knack for getting injured, don't you?"

Kagome poked at the bandage absently. "It's a gift." She looked over at the, once again, unconscious Miroku in the corner. He was still bound up with rope. "Could you tell me more about Miroku's past? You stopped before you got to his childhood. You said he was sent to live with monks, right?"

Kaede nodded. "Aye. I do not know much about his past, he never spoke to me when I was a child, but my sister was able to befriend him and got him to open up a bit."

"Wait, they were friends? I thought Miroku tried to kill her."

"He did try, eventually, but that wasn't until he started to care for my sister. Kikyo was the one who explained these things to me, and this is what Miroku told her:

Miroku grew up with five elderly monks in a monastery northwest of here. Those monks were very dedicated to their prayers and had little time for him once he was old enough to take care of himself, but he grew up loved. One of the monks, the oldest, had an apprentice named Hachiemon. Hachi became a father figure for Miroku and, while his studies took up most of his time, he always made sure to check in on him a few times a day.

Much like his biological father, Hachiemon was a pervert. On a pilgrimage to another monastery, Hachi met the same witch who had cursed Miroku before he was even born. She took offense to his hypocritical ways and turned him into a Tanuki. The monks wouldn't allow Hachi to reside in the monastery now that he was a demon and Miroku snuck out to follow him.

The two of them spent a few years traveling around the country, avoiding humans and demons alike. Humans were convinced that Hachi had bewitched Miroku into becoming his servant and demons were looking for a quick meal. When Miroku was ten, they came up with a plan to make money and get a free room every night.

Hachi pretended to attack a village and Miroku would conveniently show up to take care of the problem. Eventually they ran out of villages to trick, however, and that was when Miroku hit puberty. He'd had his eye on a young village girl for some time and it was her that the curse struck first. Miroku didn't remember doing it, but the girl was found in the rice fields with her heart removed. The villagers knew that she had gone out to meet with him and they captured him. Luckily, Hachi rescued him before he could be put to death, but the two of them were constantly on the run after that.

The curse's hold on Miroku grew stronger and soon even Hachiemon was no longer safe with his charge. The two parted ways mournfully when Miroku was fifteen. Miroku met Kikyo a year later and she managed to tone down the curse enough with her spiritual energy so that Miroku didn't have to worry about being near other people for short amounts of time." Kaede paused to take a sip of water. "My sister was working on a way to break the curse, but she didn't plan on Miroku falling in love with her. She was able to cancel weaker feeling of fondness, but love made the curse too strong to hold back without sealing it altogether and Miroku attacked her. The result of that was Miroku being sealed to a tree for fifty years and my sister never finished trying to break the curse."

Kagome couldn't help but think that the story's ending was much like Inuyasha and Kikyo in her own timeline. "Kaede, so you still have Kikyo's notes? Maybe we can figure out how to break the curse ourselves."

The older miko shook her head. " I do not have the notes here, unfortunately. Most of my sister's possessions stayed in the demon slayer's village north of here. She spent her last years there, teaching a potential protégé."

Kagome perked at hearing that. Was is Sango's village? Was is possible that, in this timeline, her family wasn't slaughtered and she didn't have to mourn over her undead brother? "How far away is this village?"

"It's about four days away. Why? Are you planning to visit?"

She nodded. "I want to see what Kikyo's figured out. If there's a way to free Miroku from this curse, then it needs to be done."

Kaede studied her for a moment. "You are a good person, Kagome. I will ask some of the village men to accompany you. I do not trust Miroku enough to allow you to travel with you alone."

"I'm touched by your confidence in me, old hag."

The two miko turned to look at Miroku. He was glaring at them, but the usual bite in it was tempered down. "It's nice of you to join the conversation, Miroku. Kagome and I were discussing how to rid you of your curse." The glare intensified for a moment before he shook his head and turned his back to them.

"Don't bother. I don't need your help."

"Nonsense. If you were so capable of freeing yourself, you'd have done it before."

"Have you considered the fact that maybe I _like_ killing girls?"

"Yes, of course. That's why you allowed my sister to use her energy to weaken your curse so many years ago. How foolish of me to think that you actually _wanted_ to be free."

"Just shut up, hag."

* * *

It took a few days to gather a group of volunteers to take Miroku and herself to the demon slayers' village and Kagome took that time to try to get him to warm up to her. She wasn't expecting a complete one-eighty in his attitude toward her, but she was hoping that it wouldn't be so awkward between the two of them for as long as they were stuck so close together.

"Come on, Miroku, just answer the question!"

"Leave me alone, you stupid girl. It's bad enough that I can't kill you, I'm not putting up with you 'getting to know me' just so you don't feel afraid around me anymore."

"Oh, I stopped being afraid of you when you tripped over that dog while you were trying to ignore me yesterday. I mean, really, what kind of evil person trips, especially over a puppy?"

Miroku didn't answer her and stared stubbornly ahead.

"Miroku."

"Miroku."

"Miiroku!"

"Miirookuu!"

"MIROKU!"

"WHAT!"

Kagome jerked back. "Well, you didn't have to yell."

A very convincing growl fell from Miroku's mouth. He stood and stalked away from the young woman, ignoring her yelp as she was dragged across the grass.

"Miroku, stop! I'm going to get grass stains in my shirt!"

The monk fell to the ground, electricity freezing his muscles. It didn't hurt so much this time, but an unpleasant numbness all over his body did little to improve his mood.

Kagome stared at him for a moment, confused, then realized what she said. "Shit, I'm sorry, Miroku! I didn't mean for that to happen, honestly!"

"Just keep your mouth shut, idiot."

Kagome bit her lip. She really hadn't meant to do that. Much like when she first met Inuyasha, she kept forgetting the trigger word and it would take her a while to filter it out of her normal vocabulary. 'Stop' was going to be harder to avoid than 'sit' was.

The two of them walked back to the village silently, as much space as possible separated them. The villagers around them stopped what they were doing to stare at Miroku fearfully. They still hadn't gotten used to the fact that Kagome could keep them safe with just one word. Kagome could see that Miroku was ignoring their stares, but she wondered how bothered by them he really was. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle everyone fearing her, even if she was just walking down the road.

"Hey, Miroku." For a second, Kagome thought he would ignore her again, but he turned his head to show that he was listening.

"What?"

"You never did answer my question, you know."

Miroku sighed and looked at her head on. "You're not going to give up until I tell you, right?" At Kagome's eager nod, Miroku looked resigned. "My favorite color is purple."

"See? Was that so hard?" Miroku gave her an annoyed look and Kagome laughed. "To make us even, my favorite color is green."

"My life is complete now that I know what color you prefer. Thank you, I can now die in peace." The villagers turned to watch Kagome burst out laughing, perturbed.

"It's good know you have a sense of humor in that head of yours. I would be sad to think that you couldn't make a joke. You'd be just like Lord Sesshomaru."

Miroku looked at her sharply. "How do you know the Lord of the Western Lands? I've heard he hates humans."

Kagome blinked, all signs of amusement gone. She forgot that only Kaede really knew that she was from another timeline. Some of the village men knew that she was not from this time, but they didn't know the full story. The two of them reached Kaede's hut and Kagome pushed Miroku in. She didn't want to tell her story to the whole village. Kaede was gone, attending to a dying man outside the village.

"I'm not originally from this time. I'm actually from five hundred years in the future."

Miroku's eyebrows climbed up his forehead. "What has that hag been feeding you? You can't actually believe that."

Kagome made a small noise of impatience. "Seriously, I'm from the future. Well, sort of. I'm not from this time's future, but the future of a timeline parallel to this one." Kagome knew she lost Miroku at the blank look on his face. She picked up a piece of scrap wood and drew a line in the dirt around the fire pit. "Look, this is your timeline." She made a line parallel to it. "This is mine." Kagome made three marks, two on one of the lines, and one on the other. "I'm from this timeline's future," she pointed to the second mark on the top line, "and I can travel to the past through a well on my property." She pointed to the first mark on the same line. "Somehow, when I was traveling to my timeline's past, I managed to jump to your timeline and ended up in this past." Kagome moved her finger from the top line to the mark on the bottom line. "Get it?"

Miroku nodded slowly, studying the drawing intently. "So you know the Western Lord from the future?"

"No, I know him from my own past. Instead of seeing you sealed to the Goshinboku, Inuyasha was there."

"The half-demon brother?"

"Yes. We traveled together and were joined by a kitsune child, a demon slayer, and…you."

Miroku looked up at her. "Me?"

"You were cursed by a half-demon named Naraku, indirectly. Your grandfather was cursed with a wind tunnel in his right hand and it passed from his, to your father, to you."

"So that's how you knew my name. Did the Western Lord join us as well?"

"No, he's actually tried to kill Inuyasha on many occasions. He's quit, for the most part, but they still don't get along very well."

"That doesn't sound right. The Lord Sesshomaru I've heard about cares greatly for his half-brother. Are you sure you didn't hit your head at some point?"

"I'm telling the truth!"

Miroku stared at her, not saying a word. Kagome fidgeted. "Why would I have joined your group?"

"I had the Shikon no Tama ripped from me and a couple of days later I accidentally shattered it. Inuyasha and I were traveling to collect the pieces together again and when we ran into you, you stole the jewel off of me. I stopped Inuyasha from killing you and you joined us to help out and, later, to help kill Naraku so that you could be freed from the wind tunnel."

"I see. Did we get along, you and I?"

"Yes. You were a pervert but once you met Sango you left me alone for the most part in that respect. We're friends, though, in my timeline."

"Don't get your hopes up. I personally find you annoying."

Kagome glared at him and busied herself with making lunch in an effort to ignore him. "Well, you aren't exactly Mahatma Gandhi yourself, you jerk."

"Who?"

"Never mind."

* * *

Three days later, Kagome and Miroku were on the road toward the demon slayer's village, eight village men in tow. The men kept their distance from the cursed monk, shooting looks at him every so often. Miroku ignored them for the most part. Kagome didn't know whether to scold the men for being so wary of him, or to laugh for the same reason.

An hour later, Kagome was getting annoyed by the men herself.

"Lady Kagome, are you getting tired? We could stop if you need a break."

"No, I'm fine. Thank you anyway."

"Are you sure? It would be no trouble."

"Seriously, I'll be able to walk just as long as everyone else. I'm used to this kind of travel."

An hour after that, both of them were ready to ditch their escort.

"Lady Kagome, do you need any water? Are you hungry?"

"No, I've got plenty of water right here and I ate just before we left. I'll be okay for a while longer." Kagome could see that, while he was getting equally as annoyed by the village men, Miroku was also laughing at her trouble. She shot him a glare and stalked at far away from him as she could, going just a bit further just to here him stumble and curse.

"Lady Kagome."

"Lady Kagome!"

"LADY KAGOME, LOOK OUT!"

"Huh?" Kagome looked up to see a blur of feathers. Sharp talons dug into her shoulders and lifted her off the ground. She caught the sight of a long red beak and her blood froze. A Tengu had her. "Help! Shoot him!"

The Tengu laughed at her. "They won't be able to help you, human. You're as good as mine."

Kagome felt a sharp pain in her chest and looked down to see Miroku running after them, a pained expression on his face as well. The Tengu rose sharply in the air and Kagome screamed. It felt like her heart was about to be yanked out of her chest. A glint of gold caught her attention and, through squinted eyes, saw that Miroku's Shakujo was hurtling toward them. It hit the Tengu in the head and stunned it long enough for it to drop Kagome.

A flurry of feathers swept past her and she landed on another Tengu's back. This one was female and her bird-like head screeched at her. Kagome looked around her to see a dozen more Tengu flying around them, each dropping down to pick up one of the humans shooting at them. Once everyone had been taken, Miroku included, the group of demons rose high enough into the air to discourage any jumping and flew southeastward, toward Kurama mountain. Kagome gripped the shoulders of the Tengu carrying her, heart in her throat.


	4. Four

Disclaimer: I don't hold ownership of Inuyasha.

* * *

Kagome's ride on the female tengu's back was uncomfortable. The large wings beat rhythmically, forcing her legs into a cramped position each time they came up and pushing warm air into her face. They'd been traveling to Mount Kurama for a few hours now and the sun was directly above them. The tengu never gave their human passengers a chance to jump safely from their backs, staying high in the air and gliding on updrafts when their muscles began to tire.

Miroku was on a tengu next to and just below her, just within ten feet. She didn't know if it was luck that their rides were flying that close together or if it was the bond between the two of them, but she was glad for it. The monk noticed her looking over at him and he gave her an annoyed stare. She could almost hear him say: _"It's your fault, you know."_ She stuck her tongue out at him and went back to studying the grounds speeding underneath them. In the distance, Mount Kurama rose out of the forest.

The group glided down into the trees and Kagome caught glimpses of huts nestled in the treetops. As they passed even more tengu walking between the trees on rope bridges turned to watch them. Most were almost completely human looking, but the arms of a few were replaced with wings much like the ones carrying the humans.

They approached a wide clearing with one tree in the middle of it. Hundreds of bridges connected it to the forest around them. Kagome was unceremoniously dropped onto one of the higher branches, hundreds of feet up. Around her, the village men were deposited with equal regard. Miroku was thrown into the trunk, the male tengu who had carried him sporting cuts and abrasions, as well as soon to be bruises. The pain that had begun to build when Kagome landed dissipated as the monk picked himself up and stomped over to her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up roughly, sparks trailing threateningly along his arms but he ignored it. Miroku shook her a few times.

"Good going, idiot. Because of you, we are now deep in tengu country. If you hadn't noticed, I'm a Buddhist monk. Tengu don't like Buddhist monks, they try to kill them. This is all you're fault!" His eyes were dark, anger, annoyance, and just a bit of worry floating in their depths. "I hope you haven't gotten too attached to me, because I'm going to be dead in a few minutes!"

"You have nothing to fear, monk."

The group spun around at the deep male voice, unfamiliar and intimidating. The leaves on a neighboring branch rustled and a male and female tengu stepped into view. Behind them, an entourage of male tengu stood on a large bridge, decked out in elaborate uniforms of leather and silk. The female moved to stand next to the male that spoke and Kagome realized that they were twins. She was very beautiful where her brother was devastatingly handsome, even with their long noses. Her hair was long and braided, trailing over her shoulder and down to her waist. It was divided into halves, one side red and the other black, and her brother's shorter hair mirrored it.

The human men gathered in front of Kagome in a vain attempt to protect her. Without their weapons, however, there was nothing they could do should the creatures in front of them choose to attack. The female giggled at their defensiveness and waved a hand at them.

"Like my brother said, there is nothing to fear in these trees, human friends."

One of the village men snorted and muttered under his breath, "I'd hardly call kidnapping an act of friendship."

She looked startled. "Oh, dear. He didn't explain anything to you?" She turned to her brother and stamped her foot childishly. "I knew we should have sent someone else! Why didn't you let me send Magarime?"

Her twin rolled his eyes. "Maybe because she's as empty headed as a hollow shell?" He bowed to the humans in front of him. "Forgive Jiten, the one who brought you here. Our friend loves to play jokes, but does not know the difference between funny and terrifying."

This time Kagome couldn't hold back a snort. "Yeah, I get those two mixed up all the time. Look, since your friend didn't bother to tell us why we were taken, why don't you tell us?"

The male tengu's eyebrow ticked in annoyance while his sister giggled. "Oh, I like her. Alright then, please follow us. We will be much more comfortable in the grand hall. I don't suppose you humans like standing on such a narrow branch so high up, right?"

The group of humans realized just then exactly how thin their support was. Kagome took a step closer to Miroku out of habit, but the monk said nothing.

"Yes, I thought so. Come along then!" The twin tengu led the procession through the trees, their entourage following at the back of the group to catch any humans that slipped off the rope bridges or other branches they crossed.

The female tengu fell back to walk next to Kagome, eyes lit up in curiosity. "So, miko, what is your name?"

"Oh, um, I'm Kagome. How did you know I was a miko?"

"I can smell it. Your kind smell like rain to us."

"But rain doesn't have a smell, really. It's just ozone that's lower to the ground."

"Ozone?"

"Never mind. Does Miroku smell like that, too?"

"Miroku is the monk? No, he smells like metal. Very tangy. Not many tengu enjoy it."

"Oh. What is your name?"

The tengu blinked and laughed. "Oh how very rude of me. My previous self would be very disappointed in me. I am called Fuka. My brother is Choudo. The elders love silly names."

"What did you mean by 'previous self'?"

"When a monk or miko dies, a tengu is born. You idiots think that if you fall off the path of righteousness, your soul become a tengu, but it is if you die in battle that we are created. Monks become tengu like my brother, miko become me. Many more monks are willing to fight, though, so there are more male tengu than females. We don't have parents, so much as guardians when we are born. The elders name us, then give us to mature tengu to be cared for until we are old enough to take care of ourselves. Choudo and I just left our nest as soon as we could fly. Jiten stayed in his nest until he could change fully into a human. Many people think he's wrong in the head because of it."

As they neared what Kagome guessed to be the center of the tree village, children started coming out of doorways and from behind leafy barriers. Each one hand wings instead of arms, and a few had talons instead of human feet. Fuka saw here questioning looks and explained.

"Children start off fully bird-like. As they get older they gain better control over their demonic energy and can shift to look more human The more human parts, the older the child."

"How long does it usually take to fully master it?"

"About three hundred years. Tengu age slower than most demons. My brother and I have only just mastered our arms a few decades ago. We are what you humans consider adolescents."

"So you would be about fifteen then?"

Fuka frowned. "There is no accurate conversion between human ages and that of tengu. Each of us masters our forms at different rates. Where one may have mastered their head, another may already be done with their legs. First the head, then the legs, and last the arms are mastered. One is considered an adolescent once the arms are mastered, then an adult one hundred years after that. The time from adolescent to adult is the only constant number for us."

A few brave children scampered along with the group, one little boy even tucking the tip of his wing into Kagome's hold. She looked around and saw that the adults and adolescents were also following them, though less because of curiosity and more because everyone was headed to the center of the village. It seemed that as soon as word got out there were humans in their midst, no one want to miss out.

The village men that came with Kagome looked around in awe and a little bit a wariness at the creatures around them, but Miroku was highly uncomfortable. Choudo had slowed down when his sister did and was trying to engage the monk in conversation. Miroku was having none of it and eventually the tengu gave up.

They reached a large intersection of bridges and the crowd of tengu parted to make way for their comparatively smaller group. The twins led them through a hold carved through the trunk of a tree at least fifteen feet in diameter. On the other side, an amazing stadium was built in a little copse of trees, thousands of seats filled the circular area. In the middle of the stadium, a large tree grew noticeably isolated from the rest and an ancient looking tengu sat nestled in the leaves. He wore a robe made of silk and the same leather and silk outfits all tengu wore could been seen underneath.

Fuka and Choudo led the group of humans to the ancient tengu and bowed deeply before moving to the side. A previously unseen female tengu leapt down from the branches high above and landed in a crouch directly in front of Kagome.

"So these are the humans Jiten and his flock brought to us." She flipped her long red hair over her shoulder and scrutinized the human girl in front of her. "This one is the miko? She doesn't look like much."

Kagome reared back, indignant. "Hey!"

"Oh, relax. The fact that Jiten brought you to us means that you are the one we were looking for. Just think, you have a chance to save us." Then tengu wrapped her long arms around Kagome's shoulders and leaned in close. Their lips nearly brushed as she said, "You should feel honored."

"That's enough, Magarime. These humans are our guests and you're being rude." The female rolled her eyes and, in a flurry of feather, leapt to his side. The ancient tengu sent a disapproving look to his assistant. "Please forgive her. Unfortunately manners do not seem to suit her personality."

The humans just looked at each other, unsure of what to make of their situation. In unspoken agreement, the village men pushed Kagome forward as representative of their little group. Miroku, who had been at the back of the group as far away from the leader as he could possibly get, was pulled forward as well. He quickly joined Kagome at the front of the group by not-so-hesitant encouraging from the men. Kagome glared back at them all.

What a bunch of cowards.

Fuka stepped forward. "Tanshin-sama. This is the miko Jiten brought to us."

"Is that so? It is a pleasure to meet you, miko-sama."

"E-excuse me, but could you tell us why we were brought-"

"_Kidnapped_." Someone muttered from behind her.

"-here? No one's explained anything and it's not reassuring in the slightest bit."

"Ah, accept my apologies on behalf of my people. When we got word that on such as you made an appearance, we allowed our enthusiasm to take a hold of our common sense."

"What's so special about me?"

"Yes, I suppose an explanation is in order." He waved his arm and the crowd around them groaned collectively. It had been half a century since the last possible miko to aid them was alive, then tengu wanted witness what might come to pass. They all filed out of the stadium, some flying to avoid the crush. Once it was just the humans and the handful of tengu, Tanshin motioned for them to sit.

"Centuries ago, a powerful priestess by the name of Midoriko became the first miko-warrior like her monk brothers. She successfully defeated thousands of demons, many of the powerful demon lords of the time lost their lives to her."

Kagome felt a jolt of recognition at the name. Were the tengu after the Shikon no Tama?

"The last great lord, a dragon demon, fathered the left over armies of his fellows together. The others had attacked the miko-warrior alone and were purified for it, but this dragon demon was wise and knew numbers would push an attack in their favor.

He challenged her and the ensuing battle lasted days. Wave after wave of demon were obliterated. The dragon continued pushing them forward, heedless of their sacrifices and discontent festered. Finally, the dragon set out himself to fight, now that she was tired and weak. The two fought fervently, each giving as good as they got, but in the end the dragon lord won. As he stood with the miko dying at his feet, one of his generals stabbed him in the back and he fell next to her.

Anger and betrayal filled his heart. The miko asked him if he wanted revenge and when he said 'yes' she grasped his hand and combined their power to purify the demons hoards around them. As they lay there breathing their last, their souls burst from their chests and became one. It formed a jewel both wonderful and horrible. Over the years, demons and humans alike coveted the jewel for it beauty and power. It consumed two more souls to become the Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls."

The ancient tengu broke out into a coughing fit and Magarime hovered worriedly. Fuka continued the story while her leader recovered his breath. "The jewel finally made it into the hands of a miko and was passed from priestess to priestess. A miko named Kikyo burned it with her body when she died and it has been lost even since. A legend the tengu has passed down over the years states that a powerful priestess who's soul has had contact with the jewel will appear and lead the tengu to its resting place. Then the tengu will be able to free the souls trapped within with the priestess's help and their first queen, the true queen, will be born." Fuka bowed low, her brother joining her. "Please, Lady Kagome, help us."

"But how do you know it's me you're looking for? I'm not even trained as a miko."

"Tengu have the ability to recognize souls, no matter the body. When you shoed up at the same village Kikyo was born in and held the same soul as she, we knew you were the one we were waiting for."

Kagome stared, at a loss for words. What does someone say in a situation like this?

Miroku must have gotten over his misgivings temporarily because he piped up with, "Why is it that you need Lady Midoriko's soul freed from the jewel?"

"Midoriko-sama's spiritual power is unmatched and cannot be destroyed by the demonic power of a tengu. Once she is freed and is reborn as a tengu, she will be able to return us to human souls again. We need her to purify us."

* * *

Kagome vaguely remembered being led (or maybe dragged by her connection with Miroku) through the trees in a confusing path of bridges. There may have been a few times where a child came to hold her hand, and once they passed through a crowd so tightly packed one of the village men blinked and asked, "Did I just get laid?" once on the other side, but her mind was too busy thinking over the previous conversation to really absorb it.

Miroku had thrown a few insults at the tengu, mostly aimed at their intelligence and lack thereof, but Choudo was quick enough to retaliate with barbs about Miroku's bathing habits (in which Kagome thought she heard the words pig, stick, and rice paddy).

She was brought back out of her musings by Shubousha, the middle aged leader of their group. He was a friendly, father type and Kagome couldn't begrudge his hovering.

"Are you alright, Lady Kagome?"

"Yes, I'm fine. This day has been rather taxing, though. I think I'm just going to get some shut eye if no one minds." The men, minus Miroku, all rushed to assure her that it was fine, insisted even that she rest. They resembled very overprotective, if rather annoyingly so, brothers and Kagome shook her head. Was there something about her that caused the males around her to either try to kill her or protect her?

She laid on one of the beds provided by their hosts, her back to the group so that they couldn't see her worried face. How was she going to get the courage to help these demons kill themselves?

* * *

Well, I managed to get this out before the New Year...though only by about half an hour. This chapter isn't as long as the other page wise (it's six and ahlf instead of nine), but it's equal wordcount wise, so it still counts I guess. Quick note: I've changed the myths/legends/stories about tengu to fit my story, just in case anyone feels like raising a stink about it. I _know_.

Name translations:

Fuka - wrong

Choudo - just/right/exactly

Tanshin - unaided

Shubousha - ringleader

Jiten - spin

Magarime - curve

**_Happy New Year!_**


End file.
